Originally posted by: Vic
pfft... so many mortgage defaults are intentional right now it's not even funny. I could write a book about it. So many people who are underwater on their homes think they can just walk away. While countless others are gaming the system to live in their homes for free.
Anyway, there is a lot of confusion in this thread. First, read the OP's article. These are foreclosure filings. That means the borrower has stopped making their payments for a certain period of time (determined by state law), the lender has declared the borrower in default, and initiated foreclosure proceedings. After this, the borrower could still be in the home for a long time, a year or more even depending on state law.
Second, there is a federal moratorium on certain foreclosure auctions (or 'sheriff sales,' 'trustee sales,' or whatever they are called in your state) at this time. Essentially, lenders cannot go to sale on owner-occupied homes unless the borrowers refused to comply or failed to qualify for the lender's loss mitigation resolution, beginning with the govt's HAMP.
As to predatory lending, people should read legal documents before they sign them. But why do that when homes were appreciating in value 25% a year and you were missing out on the big money? But uh oh the music stopped and now everyone's a victim... :roll: